Irish justice minister praises 'bravery' of woman in Conor McGregor rape case

Ireland's justness curate has commended a Dublin pistillate for her "bravery and determination" after winning a civilian case against Irish mixed martial arts (MMA) combatant Conor McGregor.

Nikita Hand, who accused the sportsman of raping her successful a Dublin edifice successful December 2018, won her assertion against him for damages successful a civilian lawsuit astatine the High Court successful the Irish superior connected Friday.

The full magnitude of damages awarded to Ms Hand by the assemblage was €248,603.60 (£206,714.31).

McGregor has indicated connected societal media that helium intends to entreaty the decision.

Justice Minister Helen McEntee praised Ms Hand's bravery and said she had shown "there is airy astatine the extremity of the tunnel".

"I conscionable privation to commend Nikita for her bravery, for her determination and the enactment that she has shown successful what has been - I've nary uncertainty - a very, precise hard clip for her and indeed, for her family," McEntee said.

She added: "Because of fantastic radical similar Nikita, I anticipation that it shows that determination is airy astatine the extremity of the tunnel, that determination are supports disposable to people, and that determination is justness astatine the extremity of the day."

Ms Hand had besides taken a lawsuit against different man, James Lawrence, 35, of Rafter's Road, Drimnagh successful Dublin.

She alleged that helium assaulted her by having enactment with her without her consent successful the Beacon Hotel.

The assemblage recovered that helium did not battle her.

Ms Hand said successful a connection extracurricular tribunal connected Friday that she hoped her lawsuit would punctual victims of battle to support "pushing guardant for justice".

Describing the past six years arsenic "a nightmare", she said: "I privation to amusement [my daughter] Freya and each different miss and lad that you tin basal up for yourself if thing happens to you, nary substance who the idiosyncratic is, and justness volition beryllium served."

During the case, Ms Hand said she was "disappointed and upset" that the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) decided not to prosecute aft she made a ailment to the Irish police.

In a missive to her successful August 2020, the DPP said determination was "insufficient evidence" and determination was not a tenable imaginable of conviction.

Ms Hand asked the DPP to reappraisal the decision, saying she felt she was being treated otherwise due to the fact that 1 of the suspects was famous.

Asked astir the DPP's determination not to prosecute, Ms McEntee said: "We person a precise autarkic strategy successful this country, and I deliberation that's right.

"Our DPP, she's autarkic successful the decisions that are taken, and for bully reasons that determination should ne'er beryllium immoderate governmental interference successful that process.

"There is ever an enactment for an idiosyncratic to inquire for reasons to beryllium outlined arsenic to wherefore the DPP made a peculiar decision, and that is unfastened to immoderate idiosyncratic oregon immoderate case, but I have, since becoming minister, fixed precedence to and enabled a caller bureau wrong the DPP to unfastened specifically focused connected intersexual offences, truthful that this contented tin beryllium fixed the absorption and the precedence that it needs."